Like Bruno, my experience is limited to VMI. However, my guess is that the other SMC's and SA's have similar policies and paradigms.
We discussed this as a bit of a bunny trail in
another thread. I'm basically going to go ahead and just copy and paste my post (with a few minor edits), because it seems pertinent here. As a bit of background, we were discussing how competitive BUD/S slots are for commissioning NROTC Midshipmen, and one former Mid who I knew while I was at VMI who earned a slot, but then lost it.
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At VMI, there are a couple of standard Rules of Engagement (ROEs) for Ratline enforcement. These ROEs spell out what upperclassmen can and cannot do to the little rat-ties. For instance, Cadre and RDC can make rats do more pushups than a regular upperclassman can, and they have a little more leeway in what they're allowed to drop rats for.
There's a huge distinction between hazing and unauthorized Ratline activities. Under Virginia law, hazing is handled as a form of assault. All hazing is unauthorized, but not all breeches of the Ratline ROE are hazing.
The dude in question broke the ROE plenty of times as a Second Classman (my rat year), but we were too dumb to realize it at the time, and we probably wouldn't have cared too much, anyway. It was stuff that seemed relatively minor, to us: exceeding the maximum number of pushups, dropping us without a reason, etc.
When he told us he had special Ratline privileges due to his position within the Corps, we believed him. He did have special privileges, because he was working under the Cadre ROE. But he also blatantly ignored the Cadre ROE.
All of this would have been enough to get him some kind of penalty, but it would not have been enough to warrant loss of rank as a Second Classman. Things got out of hand when he became a First Classman and abused his authority as a dyke.
Had he been a First Class PVT, there would have been some kind of penalty, but it probably would not have been as severe as a #1. Given his position, the Commandant's Staff decided to remove all future potential for him to abuse his authority.
In the end, I think it's pretty easy to understand why the NROTC detachment commander decided that this dude was not exactly ready to become a Naval officer.
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Does hazing occur at VMI? Of course it does. In a system that has been specifically designed over the course of time since 1839 to turn boys into men while strengthening the weak, enthusiasm and zeal occasionally take precedence over professionalism. Very rarely, you can even add sadism and cruelty to that list. Ugly though it may be, this is human nature. And all of the SMC's are great experiments in
Social Darwinism, even to the point of sometimes feeling like do-overs of Zimbardo's
Stanford Prison Experiment.
However, over the past 6-8 years, VMI has been intentional about increasing protections within the system. This is a direct result of the Commandant's dedication to raising the standard of professionalism in the Corps of Cadets leadership development program.
The VMI system isn't perfect, but the General Committee (cadet government) takes its responsibility to heart. The GC is responsible for the Ratline, so they work hard to make it tough while also protecting the rats from abuse. It works out well almost 100% of the time. Even if a member of the Commandant's Staff has reason to suspect a Ratline abuse, they typically hand it over to the GC to investigate the matter and then to assign a penalty (as warranted), instead of handling it themselves. This is what we mean when we refer to the Corps of Cadets "policing its own."
Having served first as an Assistant Investigator on the Cadet Equity Association (CEA) and then as CEA President, I can assure you that hazing and unauthorized Ratline activities alike are not nearly as widespread as they used to be, and they are dealt with swiftly and decisively when discovered. I graduated just over two years ago, but things improved noticeably over the course of my cadetship. The Commandant's Staff has been working diligently to keep the momentum going.
While my class certainly wasn't perfect, we worked very hard to raise the bar of professionalism in Ratline administration. The RDC for the 2008-2009 school year was the first in my cadetship to make it through with no one being suspended or removed from the RDC, and I attribute this directly to the example set by Rick Newkirk, the Class of 2009 RDC President. I can only hope that this standard of professionalism carried on with the Classes of 2010 and 2011, and I know that the Class of 2012 has its ducks (or rats
) in a row.
These are important questions, and I'm glad to see this discussion. I hope I communicated my take on this clearly. If there are any other questions about how VMI handles these issues, I'd be happy to answer them, if I can.
As you can see, this is a particular passion of mine. There's a little bit of Will McLean in all of us First Class Privates.
Thanks,
Jackie M. Briski
VMI Class of 2009
First Class PVT (Ret.)
Welcome to VT! Go Hokies! 